Platform cover turning machines



Oct. 11, 1955 c. H. JAMES ET AL PLATFORM COVER TURNING MACHINES I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1952 Inventors Cym'Z HJames John WPrazt B yz 617 Oct. 11, 1955 c. H. JAMES ET AL 2,719,989

PLATFORM COVER TURNING MACHINES Filed April 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W6 60 F1 .2. W /96 103 /76 06/ 4 /64 a v Inventors Cyril H James John WPrazzf Oct. 11, 1955 Filed April 11, 1952 C. H. JAMES ET AL PLATFORM COVER TURNING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 6 Inventors Clyr'z'l H James Fig. 5 is a view similar United States Patent PLATFORM COVER TURNING MACHINES Cyril Harry James and John William Pratt, Leicester,

1 England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey This invention relates to platform cover turning machines and it is herein disclosed as embodied in a platform. cover turning machine having a plunger for moving the shoe. Machines of this type are illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,429,276, granted on October 21, 1947, in the name of Eugene J. Ray, and also in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,422,737 and 2,448,102, granted on June 24, 1947, and August 31, 1948,.respective1y, both in the name of Robert H. Lawson. The illustrated machine, like the machines disclosed in the patent to Ray above mentioned and also in United States Letters Patent Nos 2,480,962, granted on September 6, 1949, in the name of Walter W. Prue, is {provided with gripping means for holding the platform cover while the shoe is being moved.

The present invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the same, selected for purposes of illustration; and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l isca side elevation of an illustrative machineembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow II on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view on a larger scale, looking in the direction ofthe arrow III on Fig. 1, of the work-engaging instrumentalities or the illustrative machine;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the work-engaging instrumentalities in relation to a shoe at the beginning of the turning operation; l l i i to Fig. 4 showingtheposition of the work-engaging instrumentalities at an intermediate stage of theturning operation; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and showing the position of the operating instrumentalities at the. end of the turning operation. 7

The machine. illustrated herein, as best shownin Figs.

by front and rear bridge portions 105 and. 107 respectively. Slid'ably mounted in alined bores in the bridge portions 105 and 107 is a stem 109 of a plunger comprising also a shoe-bottom engagingplate 111 secured on the forward end ofthe stem. The plate 111 as shown in Fig; 3, isfsector shaped, havingfa rounded upper portion corresponding generally to the outline of a toe or heel end of'a shoe bottom and having a. somewhat pointed lowergportion. The stem 109 extends rearwardly at a downwardinclination of about 15 from its junction with the plate 111. Secured upon the rearward end of the stem 109i'sa block 110 to which a pair of links 112 are pivotally Connected by apin 114. Formed in the links IT-Fare slots ilh which engage a pin 1'18 extending from a 'camplatenll. A fulcrum pin 122 carries the cam plate 120 a and is supported in lugs mounted upon a base plate 124 bolted to the underside of the casting 101.

ice

An arm 115.pivot'ally mounted on a pin 1.19'c'arried by the frame 1'01has u wardly extending ears which embrace flatsurfaces 113 formed on the stem 109 to prevent turning of the stem. Pivotally connected to the arm 115 by a pin 126 is the forward end of a link 128 having a slot 13!) formed in its rearward end portion. This link is disposed 'on one side of the cam plate 120 vv'iththe slot 131) engaging the fulcrum pin 122. A stud 132' extending from the link 128 carries a cam roll 1'34 which engages a peripheral cam surface 136 on the cam plate 120. The cam surface 136 is formed with a rise 220*for a purpose later to be explained.

The illustrated machine is provided with three gripper units or pairs of cooperating, gripper jaws, one, 'a central gripper unit for gripping the marginal portion of the piatiorm cover of the shoe at an end of the shoe, and the carried by the casting 101. Ordinarily only the central one otthethree jaws of the gripper member 138 is used, tor examplevvhen operating at the heel end of the shoe or at the toe end when the toe end of the shoe is relatively narrow or pointed. However, it is sometimes desirable to use allthree jaws of themem'ber 138 as, for eX- ample, when operating uponshoes having toe ends which are relatively broader blunt-L The stationary lower gripper member or jaw 142 comprises a convex cylindrical forward end portion of a block l4'3'rigi'dly mounted upon the forward bridge 105 of the frame 101. The cylindrical operative surface of the gripper jaw 142 is curved about an axis indicated by the broken line A on Fig. '1.

Theforward upper corners of the block 143 have been beveled oifto merge with th'ec'ylindrical operative surface of the. jaw 142. The under surface of the block 143 is concave to accommodate the curved upper edge of the plate 111 Pivotally connected'by a pin1'67to the arm 131 are the upper end portions of a pair of parallel links 169, the

lower end portions of which are connected to a block 144. Extendingupwardly through a bore in the block 144 is the upper endp'orti-onof a treadle rod'146; Interposed between nuts 1 48 threaded on the upper end por- 160 and an outer jaw 162 (Fig. 3).

tion of the rod 146 and the upper surface of the block 144 is a compression sprin'g1150. The lower end portion oh the rod 146 is connected to a treadle (not shown) -which, when depressed in opposition to a spring 152, effects closing of the central gripper unit. The spring 150 yields to limit the pressure exerted upon the work when the treadle'is depressed. The spring 1512 normally holds theuppermova'bl'e member 138 of the, central gripper unit up in an initial position adjustably determined by theen gagement of the head of a stop screw 154 with the erm 1 31, the stop screw extending through a clearance of the frame, the rearward end portions of the arms being received in slots 168 formed in the frame casting (Fig. '1).

As shown also in Figs. 4, S and 6, the under surfaces of the rear end portion of the arms 164 are beveled and the upper surfaces are recessed at the localities indicated by the referencenumerals 170 on Fig. 6 and 172 on Fig. 5,

3 respectively, to permit a limited heightwise movement of the arms 164 in the slots 168.

The outer jaws 162 are formed on levers 174 pivoted between their ends on pins 176 (Fig. 2) carried by the arms 164, the arms being slotted to receive the intermediate portions of the levers 174. The outer ends of the levers 174 are pivotally connected by ball-and-socket joints 178 to forward end portions of links 180, the rear end portions of which links are pivotally connected by ball-and-socket joints 182 to a block 147 which will later be described. Formed on the outer jaws 162 are ribs 184 which cooperate with recesses 186 in the inner jaws 160 to increase the effectiveness of the grip of the side gripper units on the work. Likewise, and for a like purpose, the central lower gripper jaw 142 is provided with a rib 232 (Figs. 3 and l), and the jaws 138 are provided with grooves 234 (Fig. 1).

The initial positions of the side gripper units are determined by a cam plate 190 (Fig. 2) pivotally mounted upon a stud 192 on the block 143, the plate having a pair of diametrically opposite peripheral cam surfaces 194 (Fig. 2) which engage pins 196 carried by the arms 164. Stretched between the links 180 is a light tension spring 198 which yieldingly holds the jaws 162 open to their maximum extent and also yieldingly holds the pins 196 against the cam surfaces 194. A pin 200 upstanding from the cam plate 190 facilitates adjustment of the cam plate to determine the initial position of the side gripper units, that is, the initial spacing of these units widthwise of a shoe to be operated upon. Movement of the cam plate is limited by stop pins 202 extending up from the block 143.

The block 147 (Figs. 1 and 2) is slidably mounted on a sleeve 204 terminating rearwardly in a head 206 and having a forward end portion on which are threaded nuts 208. A compression spring 209 surrounding the sleeve 204 and interposed between the head 206 and the block 147 holds the block normally in engagement with the rearward one of the nuts 208. A tension spring 210 hooked at its forward end to the block 147 and at its rear end to the bridge 107 of the frame casting 101 normally holds the sleeve 204 in a rearward position of engagement with the above mentioned ears upstanding from the arm 115. Formed in the sleeve 204 is an axial bore through which the stem 109 extends. this bore being of somewhat greater diameter thanthe diameter of the stem except at the rear end of the sleeve where, for a distance of about one-sixteenth of an inch, the sleeve engages the stem with a sliding fit. This arrangement permits the forward end of the sleeve to float sidewise and also up and down with relation to the stem. thus permitting a certain degree of free floating movement to the side grip er units to avoid undue strain on the work during the operation.

The cam 120 (Fig. 1) is connected by a link 212 to a second treadle (not shown) which is normally held in raised position by a spring 218. A stop screw 213 adjustably threaded into he pl e 2 enga es a Surf ce on the cam 120 to limit the clockwise movement of the cam under the influence of the spring 218 and thus to hold the cam in an initial position.

A pair of springs 214 hooked to the respective side gripper units and to the frame casting normally hold the side gripper units down in their lowermost positions as determined by the engagement of the arms 164 with the walls of the slots 168.

. The three gripper units described above are disposed about three inches in advance of the shoe-bottom-engagmg plunger plate 111 when the latter is in its initial or rearward position under the influence of the spring 218,

with the pin 118 engaging the rear ends of the slots 116. This arrangement enables the machine to accommodate shoes having high wedge heels.

The operation of the machine will now be described with reference to a shoe mounted on a last L and having a platform cover C and also a heel H and a heel strap S. Holding the shoe in both hands with the heel end down, the operator will enter the central one of the three jaws 138 of the central gripper unit between the marginal portion of the platform cover C and the last L (or upper if the shoe has an upper) to a depth of about inch. Fig. 4 shows the position of the shoe in relation to the machine at this stage of the operation. He then depresses the first mentioned treadle (not shown) to close the jaws 138 (only the central one of which is being used) to cause it to grip the platform cover against the convex jaw 142. While the platform cover is thus gripped, the operator swings the forward portion of the shoe down into the position shown in Fig. 5 and, while doing so, will thumb portions of the cover at opposite sides of the gripper unit into positions wherein they can be gripped by the side gripper units. It will be understood that the initial separation of the side gripper units has already been set by adjustment of the position of the cam plate 190. While the shoe is being inverted, the heel H will enter the deep space provided between the jaws of the gripper units and the plunger plate 111. Now, while the first treadle is held down by a latch (not shown), the operator will depress the second mentioned treadle (not shown) to rotate the cam 120 and thereby to cause the rise 220 of the cam surface 136 to move the link 128, thereby swinging the arm 115 in a counterclockwise direction. The cars upstanding from the arm 115 thus by engagement with the head 206 urge the sleeve 204 forward and cause the outer jaws 162 of the side gripper units to close and grip'the marginal portions of the platform cover, such movement of the sleeve being transmitted to the block 147 yieldingly through the spring 209. During such closing movement of the jaws of the side gripper units no forward movement of the stem 109 takes place, since the pin 118 merely moves idly along the slots 116.

During continued rotation of the cam 120 the roll 134 rides along a concentric portion of the periphery 136 of the cam and the pin 118 comes into engagement with the upper ends of the slots 116 and moves the plunger 109, 111 forward to engage the shoe bottom and thrusts the shoe forward while the marginal portions of the platform cover are held by the grippers. The plunger thus causes the platform cover at the end portion of the shoe to be completely turned and tensioned about the platform or wedge heel, as shown in Fig. 6. The degree of tension exerted upon the cover is determined by the pressure exerted by the operator on the second treadle and, since the operator has a clear view of that portion of the platform cover which is being tensioned, he can readily observe the results of the tensioning action and control his pressure upon the treadle accordingly. During the forward thrust of the plunger the side gripper units may yieldingly move outwardly to permit wider or bulging parts of the shoe to pass between them and also upwardly to avoid any undue strains from being exerted upon the cover in a direction lengthwise of the shoe, which might otherwise result from the increasing distance between the side'gripper units and the central gripper units as the side gripper units move outwardly. Such heightwise movement takes place against the tension of the springs 214, the purpose of which is to insure that the side gripper units are in their lowermost positions when they first grip the platform cover, thus insuring that the maximum upward movement of these grippers is available if required during the turning of the platform cover. On release of the treadles the parts return to their normal positions, the plunger plate 111 being provided with rearwardly extending shields 230 (Fig. 2) to prevent the side gripper units from being pulled inwardly behind the plate by the action of the spring 198, as might occur in operations upon shoes having heel covers extending considerably beyond the tread surfaces of their heels and therefore requiring a greater advance of the plunger plate 111 than the shoe shown herein. t

As has already been pointed out, all three of the central gripper jaws 138 can conveniently be used in operating upon the toe ends of shoes having relatively broad or blunt toe ends.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a platform cover turning machine, a central pair of gripper jaws arranged to receive the upstanding marginal portion of an unturned platform cover of a shoe at an end of the shoe, a treadle operated mechanism for closing said gripper jaws to hold the margin of the platform cover while the operator turns the shoe to bend the gripped portion down with respect to the shoe, two pairs of gripper jaws on opposite sides of the first-mentioned pair arranged to receive the marginal portion of the platform cover which has been bent down by the turning of the shoe, a plunger engageable with the shoe bottom, and a second treadle operated mechanism for closing the side pairs of gripper jaws and thrusting the plunger against the shoe bottom to complete the turning of the platform cover while it is held by all three pairs of grippers.

2. An organization according to claim 1 and further characterized by the fact that the second-mentioned treadle mechanism includes a cam for operating the side grippers and a lost motion linkage for operating the plunger after the side grippers have been closed.

3. In a platform cover turning machine of the type wherein the marginal portion of a platform cover of a shoe is held by a gripping device at an end of the shoe, a gripping device comprising a block having a work engaging surface of convex curvature, a fork-shaped gripper having three tines adapted to press the marginal portion of a platform cover against the work engaging surface of the block, the central tine being usable on all types of shoes and the two tines at the sides of the central time being optionally usable upon shoes having blunt ends, and means for effecting relative closing movement between the block and the fork-shaped gripper to cause them to grip the platform cover.

4. In a platform cover turning machine of the type wherein the marginal portion of the platform cover of a shoe is held by a gripping device at an end of the shoe, a pair of gripping members comprising a block having a work engaging surface of convex curvature and a forkshaped gripper having three tines adapted to press the marginal portion of a platform cover against the work engaging surface of the block, one of said gripping members having a rib on its work engaging surface and the other having a groove cooperating with said rib to enable the members to grip the Work more effectively, the central tine of the fork-shaped gripper being usable on all types of shoes and the two tines at the sides of the central tine being optionally usable upon shoes having blunt ends, and means for effecting relative closing movement between the block and the fork-shaped gripper to cause them to grip the platform cover.

5. In a platform cover turning machine, a pair of cooperating gripper jaws one of which is movable relatively to the other to grip the margin of a platform cover of a shoe while the cover is being turned, a supporting arm rigidly connected at one end to said other jaw and having a remote end, a pivot for supporting the movable jaw for opening and closing movements relative to the jaw which is rigid with the supporting arm, a second pair of cooperating gripper jaws one of which is movable rela tively to the other to grip the margin of the platform cover while the cover is being turned, a second supporting arm rigidly connected at one end to said other jaw of the second pair and having a remote end, a pivot for supporting the movable jaw of the second pair for opening and closing movements relative to the jaw which is rigid with said second supporting arm, a pivotal support for said remote end of each of said supporting arms, each of the last-mentioned pivotal supports being constructed and arranged for pivotal movement of its associated supporting arm toward and from the other supporting arm, a link pivotally connected at one end to the first-mentioned movable gripper jaw and having a remote end, a second link pivotally connected at one end to the second-mentioned movable gripper jaw and having a remote end, a spring having its ends attached to said links for holding the relatively movable jaws open and for urging said supporting arms toward each other, means for limiting the approach of the supporting arms toward each other, a cam, means for moving said cam, a cam follower movable by said cam, a connection from said cam follower to the remote ends of the links for closing the gripper jaws, a plunger engageable with the shoe bottom, and a lost motion connection from the cam to the plunger to thrust the plunger against the shoe bottom after the gripper jaws have been closed to hold the margin of the platform cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 17,083 Fenn Apr. 21, 1857 502,507 Whiifen et a1. Aug. 1, 1893 546,640 Chamberlain Sept. 17, 1895 663,777 McFeely Dec. 11, 1900 1,176,022 Bates Mar. 21, 1916 1,677,322 Bates July 17, 1928 1,736,361 Platt Nov. 19, 1929 

